PixelJunk Monsters 2

 Switch
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
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  1. Digitally Downloaded
    May 31, 2018
    90
    If you haven't played many tower defence games in the past, this one is the best place to start, since it'll be the only tower defence game you need after that. Q-Games produces some of the most distinctive, charming, and beautiful games out there, and PixelJunk Monsters is the team's best work to date.
  2. NintendoWorldReport
    Jul 2, 2018
    85
    Some patterns can absolutely destroy you without proper notice, forcing you to play over and perfect certain levels. While that side can be little irritating now and again, it can't be denied the amount of effort Q-Games put in.
  3. Nintendo Life
    Jun 13, 2018
    80
    Charming, addictive but sometimes ruthlessly unforgiving, PixelJunk Monsters 2 has made the transition into 3D almost unscathed. While there is a sense of if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it in some instances, it's still a gorgeous, lovingly-crafted and action-packed tower defence game that despite a few annoyances, will delight, entertain and challenge in equal measure.
  5. TheSixthAxis
    May 31, 2018
    80
    Pixeljunk Monsters 2 is a very solid entry in the tower defence genre. The little things it has changed make for some really interesting choices when it comes to tower placement and co-op play makes it much more replayable. Graphically the game is stunning in it’s own way and will keep you invested in the tree-destroying, tower-building, funky-dancing gameplay as you progress through the increasingly tricky levels until the end. It suffers from the same issues prevalent in any TD game but is a solid entry nevertheless.
  6. Cubed3
    Jun 18, 2018
    60
    Tower defence games may have lost their popularity somewhat in recent years but PixelJunk Monsters 2 shows why it exploded in the first place. It is insanely addictive and just the right level of challenging, although certain folk may find the frustrating elements a little too much to enjoy. Some will find achieving every perfect rating compulsive, while others will find it wholly off-putting.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 36 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 36
  3. Negative: 3 out of 36
  1. a-ha
    May 29, 2018
    5
    PJM2 retains a lot of what was so charming and good from the first iteration. But...

    Given that it's been 11 years since the first one was    PJM2 retains a lot of what was so charming and good from the first iteration. But...

    Given that it's been 11 years since the first one was released, it's pretty sad that the final product not only fails to bring new features to gameplay, but ultimately is a worse version of the first one.

    Someone mentioned a few gameplay gripes (not being able to run, no speed up, etc.), and while these missing features are essential the flow of gameplay, there are other, more glaring flaws that really need to be addressed.

    The first being visibility. In the original PJM, you can clearly see when towers are upgraded (little colored flags and visible tower changes). Not so in PJM2. The flags are hard to see and the towers at a maxed level 5 look identical to their newly birthed level 1 brethren. The 3D also makes it very difficult to gauge depth in the landscape, as well as coins and jewels being dropped.

    Speaking of dropped coins and jewels, the physics in this game are seriously wonky in that regard. If you have even a slightly downsloping plane, bye bye coins and jewels.

    The camera locking is by far the worst thing about PJM2, and it is something I feel needs to be addressed in a future update. The original PixelJunk Monsters did not have this issue because the the entire map was on display in each level. PJM2's maps, which are much larger, have to scroll with user movement. Okay that's fine.

    But what if you need to see the monsters and how they are pathing while you are sitting on a tower to upgrade it? Or running around looking for hidden items in trees? You can use your right stick for a limited map scroll. But what about 2P?

    Locked.

    This is a pretty gamebreaking design flaw in the multiplayer experience. The idea that 2 players have limited mobility + visibility, are map locked, have a limited range of separation (2P will automatically teleport back to 1P if he drifts too far off screen), it just doesn't make any sense. Why not zoom the map out for increased visibility? Why not allow players to map scroll to view monster pathing? I really don't understand this. There are times you can be on a tree building a tower with monsters 100% not visible on your screen because the camera will not allow you to scroll.

    Absolutely terrible.

    Lastly, the new features (which I'm adding as an addendum because they didn't really sway me one way or the other):
    - jumping. negligible. I'd rather have run. You can attack with Tikiman now, but the jump timing has to be perfect, and does barely any damage.
    - fruits. the only thing you can buy as one time use items. they do pretty much nothing in the grand scheme of things.
    - unlockables. masks and shells. okay? this is just purely aesthetic, there are no stat boosts or anything of that nature.

    So there we have it. At its core, it has the basic frame of PJM1. But with clunky gameplay, not enough features, beautiful graphics that are more of a distraction that anything else, and terrible multiplayer execution, it's missing the soul of what made PJM such a great game.    … Full Review »
  2. Ankhyl
    May 28, 2018
    9
    I'll try to be honest as there are lots of "not recommended" ratings in Steam.
    However I've not played multiplayer yet.
    So, first of all,    I'll try to be honest as there are lots of "not recommended" ratings in Steam.
    However I've not played multiplayer yet.

    So, first of all, even when Switch price is more expensive than in other platforms, it is till an A game for the very affordable price of 15 USD. There are no other tower defense games in the platform so far.

    As a huge fan of PJM 1 , i had my doubts on the gameplay as soon as I watched the trailer. 2D and a full map view gave it its classic Zen experience. But in fact, this is no problem at all in PJM2 and the game delivers well.

    PROS:
    + You do actually get used to the zoom, and once you play for a couple of hours and then watch PJM1, you realize graphics were a good improvement. I wish a full or bigger zoom out though.
    + It's still pretty addictive, i enjoy more playing this than finishing my missing Odyssey's moons
    + Special towers are now more balanced and with a more affordable trade to purchase (use gems for every tower, instead of research them first).
    + full 3D Map looks gorgeous, and towers' range modification based on hill's height is clever. But coins/gems sliding through the slope is annoying.
    + Bosses are better. they spawn minions which makes the wave way more interesting, as they can spawn flying or ground monsters, Now you cannot simply unbuild your towers on that wave as before. However they are pretty slow, and they help you a lot by giving constant jewels. I wish they were more difficult.

    BAD
    - I expected to get more levels (there are only 15, and maybe 6 of DLC), new towers, mechanics, or new monsters. This doesn't feel as much of a sequel but a "redesign" as those fan-reimagined games you see in youtube.
    - The levels are huge and there are some paths that are not used, I wonder why they didn't simply create more levels repeating the map but using these alternate routes.
    - Map zoom is not great, but you get used to it. However a RUN button would be great as levels are big, and you are most of time running instead of building/dancing.
    - Background Music is good but it's always the same, they lost the charm of the original one. Why couldn't they simply use it again?
    - "Tricky" difficulty is not really tricky, i expected unexpected paths or different enemy waves , however most of the time it is simply "more enemies per wave" where you can probably use the same strategy.

    SMALL things to notice:
    - Fruits are confusing and don't add anything to the game
    - The zoom makes you feel that the game is slow, because even when waves have not interval at all, sometimes you don't see anything but yourself. It's not as slow that it feels boring, but it could be fixed again by enabling zoom out.
    + Rolling giant balls is a small fun improvement to help you with a wave.
    * Changing tiki wardrobe is great, however there are no great variations between masks or shells. It would be better to have more varied styles, even cosplays.
    - They removed some good things from the first one, like knowing what do each upgrade
    + Towers taking 2 or 3 trees is not very important, you get used to it.
    - Closeup view is only good to see art , because it is the most useless feature in the game, and it's glitchy. It would have been better to have a complete or big zoom out, and a not so close zoom in, where you can see things close but in a usable way.

    Overall, it is a good game that will give you at least 20 hours of fun, plus some announced DLC levels. It would be an 8 because of the lack of real improvements, but for the price, it's a 9.    … Full Review »
  3. mtroni
    Jul 21, 2019
    10
    Oh boy did I not expect after owning PJM1 on several systems and then already co-opping this one (PJM2) on steam/PC that this would be stillOh boy did I not expect after owning PJM1 on several systems and then already co-opping this one (PJM2) on steam/PC that this would be still so mich fun on the go. Yes, even botw gets a rest until I work myself through all the levels with perfect rainbows. I am now well in my 30’s and still LOVE PJM. The only thing I could say is: can we also have PJM ultimate on Switch?… Full Review »
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